The following item from Eurweb was seen via a Google alert.
NATIVE LANGUAGE BIBLE TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO 3 MILLION AFRICANS: Tanzania in East Africa in line to get the first translations. http://eurweb.com/story/eur49751.cfm (December 31, 2008) Three million people in the highlands of the east African country of Tanzania will receive scriptures in their own language for the first time by fall next year, a Bible translation ministry recently announced. Wycliffe Associates is funding a program that is simultaneously translating ten languages for the people that live in the rugged western part of the country called Mbeya. Previously, the millions that live in the area were forced to understand the scripture in Swahili or, even more difficult for them, in English. Although about 78 percent of the population in Mbeya is literate, they can only read Swahili at a functional level to survive in society. The Mbeya Cluster project is an ambitious effort that combines ten language translation projects into one that will expand literacy in the languages of Bena, Bungu, Kinga, Malila, Ndali, Nyakyusa, Nyiha, Safwa, Sangu, and Wanji. One local man who lived in a remote area 1.5 miles up in the mountains and 74.5 miles from Mbeya simply said, "This is so good," when he heard the scripture for the first time in his own speaking language. For years, he and his people struggled to understand the Word of God in Swahili or English. In Mbeya, as in other parts of Tanzania, the various distinct languages have enough characteristics in common that it's possible to translate multiple languages at the same time. The Mbeya project will be carried out by translation teams made up of missionaries and nationals. National translators, working together with a translation advisers, are able to translate the Scripture faster because they have heard the various languages since childhood and can easily work out the nuances of the languages. Already the project is underway in Tanzania with some 30 full-time workers and another 50 part-timers all working on the multiple translations. Wycliffe Associate partners will fund the20entire project with the goal to finish by September 2009. (Source: Christian Post) **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any opinions that are expressed in this message. ********************************************************************** ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:africanlanguages-dig...@yahoogroups.com mailto:africanlanguages-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: africanlanguages-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
